Chapter 65: Hurting Others, Hurting Oneself

Because of a student?

Yu Dazhang immediately thought of himself.

In his previous life, nothing had happened to him, and Wei Chuang hadn't made any mistakes either.

How come, in this life, after something happened to him, even he had to suffer along with it?

The butterfly effect?

Forget it, what happened to him wasn't anywhere near that high-end.

The only possibility he could think of was...

Wei Chuang's disappearance was directly related to his own.

And, very likely, Wei Chuang was the one who had caused his disappearance.

Proving this was simple... find him.

Since he couldn't get out of them what exactly had happened, where Wei Chuang had been transferred to surely wasn't a secret.

After making up his mind, Yu Dazhang wasn't in a hurry anymore; he found a chair in the faculty office and sat down.

Then he chatted with the new instructor about this and that.

After a while, more instructors came in from outside one after another.

Yu Dazhang picked one who was on good terms with Wei Chuang and called him outside.

This time it went smoothly; in two or three sentences he got out where Wei Chuang was working now.

Before leaving, that instructor said earnestly:

"I knew you'd come. Listen to me—don't act on impulse anymore. You'll hurt others and hurt yourself."

"What do you mean?" Yu Dazhang immediately sensed there was big gossip in his words; if he didn't get a bite of it, he'd be letting himself down.

Unfortunately, that instructor didn't say anything else, just patted Yu Dazhang on the shoulder and turned back inside.

Don't leave a sentence half-finished... Yu Dazhang really wanted to rush into the office and drag him back out.

From the meaning of his words, it was his own impulsive actions that had harmed both Wei Chuang and himself.

With a belly full of questions, Yu Dazhang walked out of the police academy, then took out his phone and dialed a number.

Still the same shut-off tone.

He had called Wei Chuang's number last time he came to the police academy; after so many days, it was still switched off.

It seemed Wei Chuang wasn't using this number anymore.

He glanced at the time on his phone again.

5:15 in the afternoon.

A bit late. Even if he took a cab to the Qingpu Branch now, he'd get there close to six.

Standing by the roadside and thinking it over, Yu Dazhang still decided to make the trip.

If he went during the day, even if he could take leave, it would inevitably affect Wei Chuang's work.

He hailed a taxi, got in, quickly gave the address, then told the driver to try to drive a bit faster.

The branch's quitting time was five-thirty; counting the time to walk out, as long as he arrived before six, there was a good chance of seeing Wei Chuang.

Even if he didn't run into him, he could find one of his current coworkers and get a phone number.

Half an hour later, Yu Dazhang arrived at the gate of the Qingpu Branch.

Officers were already walking out from inside, which let him breathe a little easier.

He hadn't come too late; the officers at the Qingpu Branch had just gotten off work.

"Hello." Yu Dazhang walked up and asked an officer coming toward him:

"Excuse me, is Officer Wei Chuang in today?"

"Wei Chuang?" That officer turned and pointed at the branch building, saying:

"Go in, up to the third floor, second room on the left—that's it."

He just told me straight away? Yu Dazhang found it a bit strange.

This was a branch after all, and he was in plainclothes; how could the officer not even ask a single question?

Even asking what he was here for would have been fine.

It seemed it was the name Wei Chuang that had made him lower his guard.

Afraid of complications, Yu Dazhang didn't ask any more; after thanking him, he walked into the Qingpu Branch.

Then he registered with the duty officer and went up to the third floor.

"Second room on the left..."

Getting his bearings, Yu Dazhang arrived at the door of an office.

A sign hung on the lacquered door, reading: Household Registration Section.

Seeing those three characters, he instantly understood why the officer hadn't questioned him earlier.

He must have assumed Yu Dazhang was here to see Wei Chuang about household registration. Just as Yu Dazhang was about to knock, the door was pulled open from inside.

The person inside the door was Wei Chuang himself.

"Dazhang?" Wei Chuang looked at Yu Dazhang standing at the door, somewhat surprised, then as if remembering something, said in a low voice:

"Come on, let's talk outside."

He recognized me at a glance... Yu Dazhang saw no surprise or confusion in Wei Chuang's eyes.

With his current build, even someone with as good a memory as Zhou Zizhe hadn't recognized him right away.

This meant Wei Chuang had seen him recently.

And had seen him without Yu Dazhang knowing.

Yu Dazhang could be certain that, Since becoming heavy, this was the first time he had seen Wei Chuang.

Suppressing the turmoil within, Yu Dazhang nodded as if nothing were amiss, then followed Wei Chuang out of the branch office.

Please... collect... 6... 9... Books...!

Along the way, Wei Chuang kept glancing back.

As if observing Yu Dazhang's expression and reactions.

Outside the door, Wei Chuang paused, then said:

"Come to my place—I'll have my wife cook you a few good dishes."

"Senior, I..."

Yu Dazhang was about to speak when Wei Chuang cut him off:

"Don't call me that anymore. From now on, call me Brother, or just my name."

After graduating from police academy, students usually refer to former instructors as "senior."

Among students, they call each other "Senior Brother" or "Senior Sister."

Because police academy instructors are selected from outstanding officers, they belong to the technical-professional category.

They hold police ranks and official positions, and sometimes exchange roles with grassroots officers for training, which is why they're called "senior."

Not absolute.

But at Songhai Police Academy, everyone calls them that.

"Brother Wei?" Yu Dazhang tried the term.

It still felt awkward, so he switched:

"Brother Chuang, won't it be too much trouble? Let's just pick a small restaurant—I'm treating you today."

He mainly feared his wife's presence would make conversation difficult.

And in his past life, he already knew Wei Chuang's wife was no easy woman.

"Don't be so formal with me—do as I say."

Wei Chuang finished speaking, pulled out his phone, and made a call—the tone and content suggested it was to his wife.

The two then went to a nearby market and bought some ready-to-eat dishes and cold salads; neither mentioned alcohol until they entered the house.

Yu Dazhang knew his alcohol tolerance was poor—he feared drinking too much and messing things up.

He guessed Wei Chuang shared the same thought.

When the food was served, the three sat down, and Wei Chuang and his wife warmly urged Yu Dazhang to eat.

But Yu Dazhang had no appetite.

It wasn't that the food was bad—it was that something weighed heavily inside him, making eating impossible.

He reluctantly ate two bowls of rice; the three chatted and laughed at the table.

Yet Yu Dazhang noticed Wei Chuang's wife did not welcome him.

Her smile was fake, her words exaggerated—superficially warm, yet deliberately distancing herself from him.

Just after telling Yu Dazhang, "Come often," she turned to Wei Chuang and said: "There's no need to maintain ties from your police academy days."

It sounded like she meant Wei Chuang's former instructor colleagues—but Yu Dazhang knew clearly, she meant him and Wei Chuang.

She holds a grudge against me... Yu Dazhang quickly formed his judgment.

Looks like this old woman knows quite a bit.

Finally, the meal ended. As Wei Chuang's wife cleared the dishes in the kitchen, Yu Dazhang lightly tapped Wei Chuang's thigh.

"Brother Chuang, I'm sorry to you—if it weren't for me, you'd still be teaching at the police academy."

"No, no, don't say that," Wei Chuang's voice trembled.

From the moment Yu Dazhang met him until now, this was the first time he showed a look of shock.

"Da Zhang, do you remember now?"

(End of Chapter)